In the fields of building construction and architecture it is often desirable to create a physical scale model of a structure prior to beginning construction of the actual structure. Such a scale model may be displayed to potential customers as a sales tool, or to give a customer the opportunity to view a three-dimensional representation of a proposed building design so that the customer may make decisions regarding the design and other features of the building before beginning construction.
In the past, scale models have been built by skilled craftsmen working from either construction blue prints of a building and/or from an artist's rendering. Such models require many hours of work to complete, and accordingly are very expensive to produce.
In recent years, computer programs have been developed that allow a user to design a structure using a computer. In the course of designing a structure using such a program, the user creates a computer model of the structure. A computer model generally consists of data describing the layout and structure of the building, and may contain a great deal of information related to and describing the interior and exterior appearance of the structure, such as paint colors, types of wood trim and paneling, floor coverings, etc. After the computer model of the structure is complete, some building design programs also generate blue prints and materials lists which may be used in the construction of the actual building.
Several commercially available home-computer software packages allow a user to custom design a home, select interior color schemes and decor, and display on the computer monitor three-dimensional perspective views of the interior and exterior of the building. One such computer program is CompleteHome.RTM. sold by Sierra On-Line, Inc. Although such computer programs provide color, 3-D views of the structure from any desired vantage point, it is sometimes still desirable to have a physical scale model of a structure in order to gain a full appreciation for its appearance. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new, computer-based method for decreasing the time, cost, and level of skill necessary to create a physical, three-dimensional scale model of a structure.